I am honored and excited to be one of the featured presenters at this years CheerCon! This grand event will take place from May 14 – 17 at Methodist University in Fayetteville, North Carolina.

Gwen Holtsclaw, founder and president of Cheer Ltd interviewed me recently about sports psychology and cheerleading and we recorded the interview so you could hear it, too! Please feel free to listen in on our conversation.  We hope it will encourage you to register for CheerCon – the largest and longest running spirit industry conference! 

CheerCon is the largest cheer conference offered to coaches, cheerleaders, vendors, and industry leaders.  Whether you are a new coach or a veteran who just can’t quit, a team captain or a cheer fanatic, a vendor with that latest and greatest…you are invited! CheerCon was awarded the SPIRIT INDUSTRY Best Coaches Conference for a second time at the SITA Awards Gala in Chicago.

You’ll hear more about CheerCon as we get closer to May but for now…here’s the recording for you!

Thousands of people have seen this video. It’s a stunning display of athletic expertise but it’s also more than that.

Notice several things: First, safety is considered (they are on a nice large mat and there are two spotters). Second, there is implicit trust between the young woman (Katie?) and the young man – the base.  They communicate silently and seamlessly but we know it didn’t just happen over night.  They undoubtedly worked hard to develop that trust which can only happen with honest open communication over time.

She knows at this point that his focus is totally on her and that he will not falter in his handling of her.  He knows that she is strong and steady (and graceful) and courageous so he doesn’t have to worry about taking care of her in that regard.

They have obviously gone through this routine often but that is the only way you can succeed – by dedicating yourself to achieving excellence by committing yourself to hard work which includes repetition of drills. The mental work is key, too.  They are focused on each other and aren’t distracted by other things going on around them.

These videos can be instructive in so many ways and being a sports psychology coach, my focus will be on the mental game of cheerleading.

This video demonstrates how to do a back handspring. Viewing it has been helpful to some cheerleaders. Here’s a technique from sports psychology to make it even more helpful! (But please…if you’ve never done this before, be safe and work with a coach and a spotter!)

Step 1: As you watch the video, observe the cheerleader intensely and begin to imagine how her body feels as she moves through the routine. Also, imagine how she feels emotionally and how focused she is. Notice every detail. Repeat this several times.

Step 2: View the video again and this time, as you observe the cheerleader carefully, imagine that you are feeling what the cheerleader is feeling (body and mind). Repeat several times.

Step 3: Now, with your mind’s eye, see yourself and feel yourself performing the back handspring. Really feel every detail.

Step 4: Making sure you are using a mat, get in position to begin the back handspring. Take a moment, exhale slowly to get focused and with your mind’s eye, see yourself performing the back handspring perfectly. Now you’re ready to do it!

By doing the above you will have enhanced the learning process by creating connections in your brain. Yep, that’s right. Your brain doesn’t know the difference between visualizing a routine and actually performing it! To your brain, it is one and the same therefore; you can begin to build those important brain maps just by visualizing whatever new stunt or routine you want to learn!

Stay tuned for an exciting new development!  In the very near future, I will be launching a new product – an information-filled CD (maybe 2!) and workbook on the mental game of cheerleading competition preparation. 

Many elite athletes work with sports psychologists to improve their performances, so why not cheerleaders?  Many pro athletes in most sports, including baseball, football, basketball, and soccer either work directly with sports psychologists or have coaches who are well versed in sports psychology strategies.  And virtually all Olympic teams have a sports psychologist on board. 

Seems to me it’s time cheerleaders reap the benefits of what sports psychology has to offer! 

In high level sports it is estimated that 50 – 90% of success can be attributed to mental factors such as confidence, composure, and concentration, to name a few.  These are known collectively as mental toughness.   Mental toughness skills can be strengthened and taught in order to ensure consistently and excellence in performance.  That’s what I do. 

I will be offering excerpts from the CD in future posts so be sure to check in regularly and please feel free to ask questions!

What does it take to be the best? 

What are the factors that contribute to excellence? 

Think you know?  Sports psychologists say that anywhere from 50 – 90% of success in high level sports can be attributed to mental factors known collectively as Mental Toughness. 

Mental Toughness doesn’t mean being aggressive or, well, tough in a rough-tough-mean way. I like to think of Mental Toughness as the ability to perform at an optimal level no matter what the circumstances. 

Interested in seeing how you rate on the 8 Mental Toughness factors?  Great! Go ahead and rate yourself on all the dimensions below. 

And stay tuned for lots more about this topic including some tips on how to improve your scores! 

Mental Toughness Checklist 

Evaluate your own Mental Toughness capacities by rating each factor on a scale of 1-10 with 1 being low, 5 being average, and 10 being very high. 

1. Championship mind-set

(Open to feedback about your performance.) 

0________________________________10 

2. Concentration

(Ability to stay focused on task and not get distracted.) 

0________________________________10 

3. Composure

(Poised and self-assured in high stakes situations.) 

0________________________________10 

4. Come-back from mistakes

(Ability to bounce back quickly and let go of set-backs/mistakes.) 

0________________________________10 

5. Clarity about motivation

(Knowing what you want and why you want it.) 

0________________________________10 

6. Commitment

(Dedicating yourself to a course of action.) 

0________________________________10 

7. Confidence

(Belief in your ability to perform well.) 

0________________________________10 

8. Courage

(Quality of spirit that enables you to take on challenges.) 

0________________________________10